Using old minidish for Hotbird

G

gallois

Member
My Satellite Setup
Technomate TM-5200 D USB Super+
Zone 1 43cm Minidish
My Location
Brighton
I recently got a Technomate receiver with the aim of using my old Zone 1 43cm minidish to get several Italian (Rai) channels for my partner to watch.

I Moved the dish up a few degrees and then 15 degrees West from the position it was in.

I've not been able to get a full fix on 13E Hotbird. I can get some transponders (eg 10.831/21.984 is 97% level 92% quality) but not all. Annoyingly - all the transponders that transmit Rai I can't get.

In the same setup the minidish locks on the following sats

7E Eutelsat
19.2E Astra 1
23.5E Astra 1D3A
28.2E Freesat
56E Bonum 1

There are only 4 or so Rai channels - so we don't want to spend loads of money on this setup. I've spent a good few hours sweeping with degree changes in elevation but always end up with the same results.

Any ideas what the problem may be? I think maybe it is a line of sight issue as the house next door is close and to the West of the dish. I don't get all the transponders from the above satellites either.

If the only way to sort this is to get another dish fitted elsewhere on the house, can anyone give me an idea of the most cost effective way to do this?

Thanks!
 
If it was line of sight, you wouldn't get any channels, what is more likely is that you are on the wrong satellite.

Can you name some channels and their frequencies that you have scanned?
 
I hope I'm doing this correctly. Apologies if not - it's the first time Ive done this.
Hotbird 13E
UCB TV 11.220(H)/27.474
Propeller 11.306(H)/27.497
Travel 12.559(V)/27.473

There are others too on different frequencies
 
UCB TV 11.220(H)/27.474 is listed on Astra 2, 28.2E.
In fact all those channels are based on Astra 2, 28.2E, try a new scan and see what channels you pick up, also check the onscreen logos to see if the channel names listed matches the channels you're viewing.
 
Those channels and transponders are on 28E.


can you watch these channels? If so your dish is still on 28E?
 
I have UCB on Astra 2 also at 11.222H/27.500
 
The odd MHz here or there difference, still 28E.
 
Yup - if you can see pictures from those channels and you arent just looking at the channel labels your dish is pointing at 28E not 13E.

You say you are getting Bonum 1 at 56E - I assure you that you arent actually getting them - that bird is transmitting to Siberia in central Russia and is impossible to get in western Europe.

What happens is that the same frequencies are reused over and over again around the arc and the satellite lists are just a set of data tables inside the receiver. If you scan satellite A but your dish is pointing at satellite B then you will get satellite B channels appearing where the transmission parameters are the same on the two satellites.
 
I guess I'm not getting any channels from 13E then, even though my receiver seems to think so. If I select it in the menu then switch to Transponder 5 (10.831H/21.984) Its 97/92%. Is this coming from a different sat?
 
Thanks that explains a lot. Still not sure how to get a Hotbird signal though.
 
You need to slew the dish round from 28E to 13E. Not a difficult job if you have completely safe access to the dish
 
I think I tried that. Moved it 15 degrees right (from behind). Got nothing on the screen but will try again! I still think next door might be in the way.
 
Whack it right and up a bit, you may find 19E on the way. Anything is better than nothing, as it tells you where you have got to.


DON'T look on screen for pictures, look at signal quality on a valid transponder, see lyngsat for details.
 
Did that - got nothing on the setup screen for 13E and now no channels - so at least I'm not pointing at 28E anymore!
 
Try jumping round the arc one satellite at a time

Tune the box to 11914H 27500 3/4 and see if you can find the Dutch regional channels on 23.5E The lnb will need to move a little underthe width of the face and up a fraction.

Once you finds that tune to 10744H 22000 5/6 and look for the 5 German channels on 19E. Again the dish will need to move a little under the width of the lnb face and up a fraction. Once you find them you are close :D
 
gallois said:
I think I tried that. Moved it 15 degrees right (from behind). Got nothing on the screen but will try again! I still think next door might be in the way.
Click to expand...

Dishpointer.com may be of use, 13E is about 30 degrees elevation where you are.
 
Once you finds that tune to 10744H 22000 5/6

On 25.3E too? I dont see that transponder in the list
 
No - 28E - 23.5E - 19E - possibly 16E - 13E

Once you find one new bird its much easier as you know how far to go for the next one. :)

make sure you mark the existing position of the dish BEFORE you try moving it with tippex, paint or similar - then if you get hopelessly lost you can reset easily reset and start again
 
Found the dutch and german channels - but can't seem to get any further. I'm officially giving up for tonight! Is this really just a dish alignment thing? It seems so easy to find the Freesat channels. I just swing it around and dip it down and bang the quality shoots up. No matter what I do I can't get transponder signals for the ones I want when I select hotbird on the box.
 
Ah you have half cracked it :)

If theres an obstruction past 19E (the German channels) you may need to relocate the dish a few feet.

When you have a go tomorrow try looking for 10892H 27500 3/4 on 16E - theres a couple of free Slovenian channels in amongst the encrypted stuff on that frequency, and is nice high power frequency

Once you find 16E then try for 10796V 27500 5/6 on 13E - thats got Polish channels on it and is fairly easy to find

Remember you will need to raise the lnb a fraction each time you move it westwards, or drop it as you move eastwards - the satellites are on an inverted arc with the highest point of the arc at the local south.
 
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